Hey y’all! Moving right along into Wednesday’s ballot breakdown. Next up on my desk is Proposition 133, which addresses sentencing laws and penalties for human trafficking. For me, this is a firm NO.
Look, nobody hates the horrific crime of human trafficking more than I do, and it can be a tough choice when an ad tells you a “Yes” vote fixes it. But we have to look at the structural reality of what these laws actually do. This measure implements rigid, mandatory sentencing guidelines—similar to a “three strikes” rule—that completely take away a judge’s ability to evaluate a case.
There’s a famous quote: Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. We have already seen how these mandatory minimums and three-strikes laws destroy lives. I think about people like Alice Marie Johnson and Chris Young—the young man whom Kim Kardashian and his own sentencing judge, Kevin Sharp, had to bring to President Trump’s attention to free. Judge Sharp actually resigned his lifetime position as a federal judge because he was so sickened that the “three-strikes” law tied his hands and forced him to give a 22-year-old a mandatory life sentence instead of looking at his case individually.
The entire reason we have human judges—instead of a computer algorithm or an automated checklist—is so someone with extensive legal training and real-world wisdom can look at the unique context of every individual case.
If we remove their voices, their flexibility, and their knowledge, then we don’t need them in our legal system at all! Turning sentencing into a strict, automated formula shifts all the power away from the courtroom. We need to trust our judicial branch to do its job case-by-case rather than tying their hands with permanent, sweeping mandates.
Don’t let the emotional headlines panic you into a reckless vote. Look past the commercials, remember our history, and do your homework!
If you want to read the official text and arguments surrounding Proposition 133 for yourself, check out these trusted resources:
Official Colorado Blue Book:Colorado General Assembly Blue Book Portal
Non-Partisan Breakdown:Colorado Newsline 2026 Voter Guide
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